Electric safety and trouble lamp



Sept. 20, 1955 c. SABIERS 2,718,635

ELECTRIC SAFETY AND TROUBLE LAMP Filed OCC. 12, 1955 ATTORNEYS United States Patent Officev 2,718,635 Patented Sept. 20, 1955 ELECTRIC SAFETY AND TROUBLE LAMP Charles Sabiers, Amherst, Ohio Application October 12, 1953, Serial No. 385,416

6 Claims. (Cl. 340-366) This invention relates to electric lamps and more speciically to electric lamps which may be employed as automobile safety and trouble lamps.

An important object of the invention is to provide such a lamp which affords three selected kinds of illumination so that there will be available a conventional spotlight illumination, with the light rays projecting outwardly from an end of the lamp, or a signal lamp illumination, such as a red danger illumination, or a red-and-clear illumination desirable when making repairs on automobiles or changing tires, for example, along the roadside.

Another important object is to provide an electric lamp as described above, comprising parts which have dual functions, whereby the number of parts is reduced.

A further important object is to provide an electric lamp of the class described which is adapted to contain a suitable electric conductor and electric connector so that the latter may be plugged into a suitable outlet, as the conventional cigar-lighter socket of an automobile.

Also, an important object is to provide such an electric lamp which may be hand held or set up on one end for stationary use and is not apt to tip over.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description of the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this disclosure, 1

and in which drawing:

Fig. l is an elevation of the new electric lamp, with a portion lined to indicate red.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. l with the parts in positions to afford flashlight or spotlight illumination.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section somewhat along the lines of Fig. 2 but with the parts in positions to provide a colored (as red) illumination along a portion of the body of the lamp.

Fig. 4 is also a somewhat similar vertical section but with the parts now in position to furnish both a colored and a clear-glass illumination at the same time. There is also shown an electric socket, support therefor and electric plug.

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan of the new lamp. n

Fig. 6 is a wiring diagram with the lamp associated with a storage battery such as employed in automobiles.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter A designates the new lamp as a whole; the letter B, a source of electric energy; C, an electric socket, electrically connected with the source B; and D, a support for the socket C.

The new electric lamp A includes an elongated housing 10 with a preferably tubular housing side Wall 11, which is preferably of substantially clear colorless hardened synthetic plastic material having opposite end edges 12 and 13. The end edge 12 supports a window 14 which is preferably a disc of clear hardened plastic which may be secured to the edge 12 in any approved way, such as by a suitable adhesive or by thermal bonding. There is thus provided an open-ended compartment 15 within the housing 10, defined by the wall 11 and window 14.

Mounted within the compartment 15 is a reflector 16 which is domed, with its mouth or edge 17 preferably abutting the inner face of the window 14 at the edge area or portion thereof and also engaging the inner face of the wall 11 to which it may be secured in any approved way, such as by a suitable adhesive. Both the outer and inner faces 18 and 19 respectively of the reilector 16 are light rays reflecting surfaces such as provided by polished metal or silvering the material of the reflector. The axial central portion of the reflector 16 is provided with an opening 20, preferably circular, having a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the electric lamp envelope 32 employed in the new lamp, whereby the envelope may be slid in and out of the opening, as can be appreciated in Fig. 3, for example.

Removably,. rotatably and slidably carried by the housing 10 is an electric light rays-emitting medium support and socket structure 21. This includes a preferably tubular body portion 22 having one truncated conical end face 23 and an opposite llat face 24. The diameter of the body portion 22 is such that the latter may be inserted into the compartment 15 and slid along and rotated within the compartmentn frictional engagement with the inner face of the Wall 11. Upon the truncated conical end face 23 is a light rays reflecting material 25 whichvmay be a truncated conical metal disc having a polished outer face. The disc has an axial opening 26 for a purpose later detailed. Preferably, the tubular body portion 22 is of dielectric material. Carried withlin the hollow of the tubular body portion is an elongated tubular member 27 which extends, at one end, to the truncated conical end face 23 and through the opening 26, has an outwardly-extending peripheral head or flange 28 to fit over the adjacent wall of the disc 25 adjacent the opening 26 thus retaining the disc 25. This end detachably carries a suitable electric lamp socket assembly 29 of conventional construction adapted to receive the base portion 30 of an electric light rays-emitting medium, which may be a conventional pre-focusing electric lamp bulb 31 with the envelope 32 thereof of a diameter to slide through the opening 20, with only a minimum space to spare.

The tubular member 27 projects from the end face 24 and its end, opposite the bead 28, is provided with an outwardly-extending peripheral flange 33, having dual purposes, as will be detailed later, and provided with a plurality of spaced-apart cut outs 33a, preferably arcuate, at its peripheral edge. The elongated tubular member 27 may be secured to the tubular body portion 22 in any approved manner, such as by the set screw 34 of Fig. 2.

In addition to its function as a housing for the electric lamp socket assembly 29, the tubular member 27 provides a support for the electrical conductors cord 35 of the conductors 36 and 37, one terminal of each of which extends into the assembly 29, and they are electrically connected with the base portion 30 of the bulb 31. The cord 35 may be coiled for storage about the protruding portion of the member 27 and the flange 33 prevents the coiled cord from sliding off the end of the member 27. In addition, the interior of this protruding portion provides a storage socket for the plug 38 electrically connected with the other terminals of the cord. This-plug 38 is of conventional construction and is one adapted to be inserted into the socket C in order to close an electric circuit through the source of electric energy B (asa storage battery), socket C, plug 38, conductor 36, electric lamp socket assembly 29, electric lamp bulb 31, conductor 37, and ground to source B.

The plug 38 has an exposed end terminal 39 and a spring-urged side terminal 40 for ground, each being electrically connected with a terminal of the conductors 36 and 37.

The ange 33 is provided, as shown, with arcuate slots any one of which will accommodate a portion of v the cord 35 so that the plug 38 rnay be inserted into the interior of the member 27 as stated.

Referring now to the portions of the new lamp carried by the wall 11 it will not noted that a first light rays transmitting portion or window 41 is represented by that part of the wall 11 at the end thereof adjacent the window 14 and a relatively broad band or tube 42 of suitably colored or tinted transparent plastic ma- `terial or the like encircling this part and preferably rigid therewith, so that the two are integral. In the example shown, this band yor tube is of a red color and extends from the end edge 12 a distance of, for example, two inches, along the wall 11.

Beyond the rst light rays transmitting portion 41 is a second light-rays transmitting portion or window 43, of substantially clear colorless material, represented by a portion of the wall 11. This may be substantially /8" wide, for example.

Next to the portion 43 is a preferably opaque portion 44 made opaque by a suitable covering on the wall 11 p to the end edge 13. This covering may be paint, leather,

`metal, hardened plastic or the like.

Means 45 to selectively position the electric lamp bulb 31 in the compartment 15 is shown to comprise a finger hold lug 46 carried by and extending radially from the member 27 at the flange 33. The lug 46 contacts the Vflange along a portion of its length and is partly supported thereby.

The means 45 also includes the walls of a compound bayonet slot 47 through which the lug 46 is adapted to slide. The slot 47 opens at one end to the edge 13 and extends longitudinally of the housing wall 11 a distance sufficient to carry the edge of the disc 25 substantially level with the inner edge of the portion 44 and the lamp bulb 31 partly opposite both the portions 41 and 43, as is clear in Fig. 4. The parts may be latched in position by moving the lug 46 into the transversely extending slot portion 48. When the electric lamp bulb 31 is in this position and the lamp A is upright as in Fig. 4, there will be a clear illumination upon the support for the lamp A (as the ground) since some of the light rays from the bulb will be reflected downwardly and outwardly by the inner face 19 of the reflector 16 and some reflected upwardly by the surface of the disc 25 and then downwardly and outwardly by the face 10. Some rays will also be reflected through the colored portion 41 but 'these will spread out less obliquely. Of course some light rays will not be reected but will shine through the portions 41 and 43.

If the lug 46 is now slid from the slot portion 48 and then through the longitudinally-extending slot portion 49 to and into the transversely-extending slot portion 50, the parts will be latched as in Fig. 3 with the greater part of the colored portion 41 illuminated and the disc 25 shutting off any light rays fromv the portion 43. However, the reflecting face 19 will tend to reflect rays to spread the light rays projected through the portion 41. This affords, with the portion 41 red, a danger signal.

With the lug 46 slid from the slot portion 50, through the slot vportion 51 and into the slot portion 52, the parts will be latched as in Fig. 2 and the reffector 16-confines the rays so there is no illumination of the portions 41 or 43 but the rays will be projected through the window 14 to provide a ashlight or spotlight effect.

While the entire structure 21 with the electric lamp bulb 31 may be removed from the housing compartment 15 and the energized bulb employed for illumination,

this has only limited uses. It may be employed, however, where space is too confined for the entire lamp A It will be noted that the wall 11 at the end edge 13 is provided with spaced-apart arcuate recesses 52 through which the conductor cord 35 may extend when the lamp A is set upright as in Figs. l to 4 inclusive.

The electric socket C is of conventional construction and only sufficient is shown to illustrate how the plug makes Contact with the socket terminal 55 by way of the plug terminal 39 and with the ground terminal 56 and plug terminal 4t). The support D for the socket C may be a suitable grounded portion of an automobile frame.

The lug 46 of course provides a means to initially start to remove the movable structure from within the compartment 15 although the finger tips may be inserted into opposite cutouts 33a in order to draw the movable structure farther from the housing and then the coiled conductor cord grasped in order to el'Iect complete withdrawal.

Various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

l. An electric safety and trouble lamp including an elongated housing having a tubular side wall of electric light rays-transmitting substantially colorless material and defining an inner face, an outer face, opposite end edges and a compartment; a colored portion of electric light rays-transmitting material covering a portion of a face of said wall, and a portion of substantially opaque material covering a portion of a face of said wall and spaced from said colored portion, whereby said wall is uncovered between the adjacent ends of said colored and opaque portions, providing a window; a movable support within said compartment; an electric light-raysernitting medium carried by and extending from said support and being within said compartment; means for moving said support to position said medium selectively opposite said colored portion or to position said medium selectively opposite said window and an adjacent part of said colored portion, and means for conducting electric current to said medium for energizing said medium.

2. An electric safety and trouble lamp according to claim l characterized in that said colored portion is a tube and covers a portion of said outer face.

3. An electric safety and trouble lamp according to claim l characterized in that said colored and opaque portions are tubes and cover portions of said outer face, and said support is in frictional contact with said inner face.

4. An electric safety and trouble lamp according to claim 1 characterized in that said colored and opaque portions cover portions of said outer face, said support is in frictional contact with said inner face and has a truncated conical light rays-reflecting face from which last-named face said medium extends.

5. An electric safety and trouble lamp including a housing provided with a window and an open end; a movable support Within the housing including a body portion, support means carried thereby to support an electric light rays-emitting medium within said housing, and an elongated tubular member carried by and extending from said body portion at an end of said body portion opposite said support means, said tubular member having an outwardlyextending peripheral flange at its end portion remote from said body portion and being open at said end portion, whereby a recess is provided within said tubular member, said flange having a plurality of spaced-apart openings in its periphery; an electric light rays-emitting medium carried by said support means and extending outwardly from an end of said body portion; manually-operated means for sliding said body portion, tubular member and medium as a unit longitudinally of said housing to posi tion said medium selectively opposite said window and selectively away from said window, the last-named means including a finger hold carried by said elongated member; and means for conducting electric current to said medium for energizing said medium, including an electric plug and an electric cordl electrically connected with said 'medium, whereby the hollow of said tubular member provides a recess to receive said plug for storage and a portion of said cord may extend through one of said openings, the wall surfaces of the other of said openings providing finger tip holds for aid in removing said body portion, tubular member, cord, plug, support means and medium as a unit from said housing at said open end of said housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 982,651 Wellman Jan. 24, 1911 1,395,490 Grai Nov. l, 1921 2,225,825 Desirnone Dec. 24, 1940 2,361,480 Iofo Oct. 31, 1944 

